Candidate handbook

This handbook explains how the EqasOnline Certified Proficiency Testing Professional credential works. Read it before you start the exam. When you start an attempt, you agree to the Candidate agreement and to the rules in this handbook.

EqasOnline Academy is run by legal entity (to be confirmed) ("EqasOnline", "we", "us"). Our registered address is registered address (to be confirmed). You can contact us at contact email (to be confirmed).

1. About the credential

The credential is called EqasOnline Certified Proficiency Testing Professional.

It shows that you passed our online exam on proficiency testing (PT). The exam covers PT basics, how a round runs, assigned values and σpt, performance scores, reports and trends, and corrective action. The Exam blueprint lists what the exam covers.

The course, the exam and the credential are free.

Each credential has an ID in the format PTP-YYYY-XXXXXX. Anyone can check a credential at academy.eqasonline.com/verify/<ID>. We also issue each credential as an Open Badges 3.0 digital badge, which you can add to a digital wallet or profile.

What the credential is not

• It is not an accreditation.
• It is not a certification of persons under ISO/IEC 17024.
• It is not connected to, or endorsed by, any accreditation body.
• It is not a licence to practise.
• It does not show that your laboratory, or any laboratory you work for, is competent.

Do not describe the credential as any of these things.

2. Who can take the exam

Anyone aged 18 or over can take the exam. You do not need a degree, a job in a laboratory or any other qualification.

We recommend the six free course modules, but you do not have to complete them before you sit the exam.

Use one account only. Each person may hold one account. Opening a second account to get around the retake rules is misconduct.

3. Your name on the credential

You enter your own name in your profile. We print that name on your credential and show it on the verify page.

• Use the name you are known by professionally.
• We do not check identity documents. Your name is self-attested. By starting an attempt, you confirm that you are the person named in your profile.
• Using someone else's name, or letting someone else sit the exam for you, is misconduct.

Changing your name

If your name changes, or you spot a mistake in it, send us a name change request from your account. We reissue your credential under a new ID with the new name. The new credential keeps the same issue and expiry dates.

The verify page for your old ID then shows the status "Reissued". It no longer shows your name and it does not link to your new ID. Badge files you saved before the change still carry the old ID and the old name.

4. The exam

Single choice. Pick the one best answer.

Choose-2 multiple response. Pick exactly two answers. You get the mark only if both are correct.

Numeric entry. Type a number. The question tells you the units and how many decimal places to give.

Each question is worth one mark. Wrong answers do not lose marks, so answer every question.

You can move between questions and change your answers until you submit or the time runs out.

The pass mark is provisional

The pass mark of 28 out of 40 is provisional. We will run a standard-setting study and may change the pass mark after it. A new pass mark will apply only to attempts that start after we publish it. It will not take away a credential you already hold.

5. Taking the exam online

There is no booking. You sign in and start an attempt whenever you are ready, as long as the retake rules allow it.

You need:

• a device with a current web browser and a stable internet connection,
• a screen large enough to read charts and tables (we recommend a computer or tablet),
• access to the email address on your account, because you sign in with a one-time code we email to you,
• a handheld calculator, unless the exam screen provides one.

The exam is not proctored. Nobody watches you, and we do not use your camera or microphone or record your screen. Because of this, the exam relies on your honesty and on the checks described in section 7.

Timing and saving

• The 60-minute timer starts when you start the attempt. It runs on our server.
• The timer does not stop if you close the page, lose your connection or switch off your device.
• We save each answer as you go. If you lose your connection, sign in again and carry on. The time you were away still counts.
• You can have only one attempt open at a time.
• When the time runs out, we end the attempt and score the answers you saved. An attempt that ends this way counts as a full attempt.

6. Conduct and honour code

Before every attempt, you accept the Candidate agreement. In short:

• Do the exam alone and do your own work.
• Do not get help from anyone during the attempt.
• Do not use AI tools, chatbots or AI assistants of any kind.
• Do not use notes, course material, books, websites or search engines during the attempt.
• Do not record, photograph, copy or write down the questions.
• Do not share or discuss the questions or answers with anyone, during or after the attempt.

You may use a handheld calculator, the calculator on the exam screen if there is one, and blank paper for working. Destroy any working notes after the attempt.

What happens if you break the rules

If we find that you broke these rules, we will:

• void the attempt,
• revoke any credential you hold, and
• bar you from starting new attempts for 12 months from the date of our decision.

Section 13 explains how we reach that decision and how you can respond.

7. What we log during an attempt, and why

During an attempt, we record these events:

We also keep your answers, the time you saved each one and the time you submitted.

Why we record these events. The exam is free, online and not proctored. These records help us protect the value of the credential for everyone who holds it. They let us spot attempts that need a closer look.

How we use them. Our system flags attempts with unusual patterns. A flag is not a finding of misconduct. A person on our team reviews every flagged attempt before we make any decision. Many flags have innocent causes, such as a notification that takes focus or a dropped Wi-Fi connection.

If you use assistive technology that may move focus away from the exam page, tell us before you start (see section 8). We will note it so that the reviewer knows.

We keep raw integrity events for 2 years. The Privacy policy has more detail.

8. Accommodations

If you need extra time because of a disability, a health condition or another reason, ask us before you start the attempt.

How to ask.

1. Sign in and open a new accommodation request from your account. If you cannot use the form, email contact email (to be confirmed).
2. Tell us how much extra time you need and briefly why. You do not have to tell us a diagnosis.
3. We reply within 10 working days. If we need more information, we will say what and why.

Most requests are for 25 % or 50 % extra time (15 or 30 minutes). If we agree, the extra time applies to every attempt you start while the accommodation is in place.

If you need something other than extra time, ask. We will tell you what we can do. The Accessibility statement explains how the site works with assistive technology.

If we refuse a request, we will explain why. You can appeal (see section 11).

9. Retakes

If you do not pass, you can try again. These rules apply:

Every attempt you start counts, including one that ends because the time ran out. The 90-day limit is a rolling window. Your account shows when you can next start.

While you hold an active credential, you can start a new attempt only in the recertification window (see section 12).

10. Results

When you submit, or the time runs out, we score your attempt automatically. Most candidates see their result straight away.

If our checks flag your attempt, your result shows as "Under review" until a reviewer has looked at it. We aim to finish reviews within 10 working days.

What your result shows

• Pass or fail.
• A band for each of the six domains, so you know where to focus next:

Each domain has only 6 or 8 questions, so the bands give a rough guide, not a precise measure. The pass or fail decision uses your total marks only.

If you pass, we issue your credential and you can view it, download it and share its verify link.

Why we do not show the questions or answers

We do not show you the questions, your answers or the correct answers after an attempt. We reuse questions across many attempts. If we released them, the exam would stop measuring knowledge and the credential would lose its value. Your domain bands tell you which course modules to review.

11. Appeals and complaints

Appeals

An appeal asks us to change a decision about you. You can appeal:

• your result,
• a decision that you broke the exam rules,
• the revocation of your credential,
• a refused accommodation or name change request.

How to appeal. Open an appeal from your account, or email contact email (to be confirmed), within 30 days of the date we told you about the decision. Tell us which decision you are appealing and why. Include any evidence you want us to consider.

What happens next.

1. We acknowledge your appeal within 5 working days.
2. A member of our team who was not involved in the original decision reviews it.
3. We send you a written decision with reasons within 30 days of our acknowledgement. If we need longer, we tell you why and when to expect it.

Appeals about your result. We check that your attempt was scored correctly and that the questions you saw were sound. We do not show you the questions. If we find a faulty question, we correct the scores of every candidate who saw it.

The appeal decision is our final decision on the matter. It does not affect any legal rights you have.

Complaints

A complaint is about anything else: the course, the exam, our service, how we treated you, or how someone else uses a credential.

Send a complaint from your account or to contact email (to be confirmed). We acknowledge it within 5 working days and give you a full reply within 30 days. If we need longer, we tell you why.

Complaints about how we handle your personal data can also go to our grievance officer, grievance officer (to be confirmed). The Privacy policy explains your other options.

12. Validity and recertification

Your credential is valid for 2 years from its issue date. The verify page shows the issue date and expiry date.

The recertification window opens 90 days before your credential expires. To recertify, pass the exam again during that window. The normal retake rules apply.

If you pass in the window, your expiry date moves to 2 years after your old expiry date, so you lose no time. Your credential ID stays the same, and we issue a new digital badge with the new dates.

If you do not recertify in time, your credential expires and the verify page shows "Expired". You can sit the exam again at any time after that. If you pass, you get a new credential with a new ID.

13. Revocation

We may revoke a credential if:

• the holder broke the exam rules or the Candidate agreement,
• the holder shared exam questions or answers,
• someone other than the named holder sat the exam, or the name is false,
• the holder used more than one account to get around the rules,
• the holder misrepresents the credential, for example by calling it an accreditation, or alters a certificate or badge, or
• we issued it because of our own scoring error.

How we decide

1. We email you, explain what we found and give you a summary of the evidence.
2. You have 14 days to reply with your explanation and any evidence.
3. A member of our team who was not involved in raising the concern makes the decision.
4. We email you the decision and the reasons.

Your credential stays active until we make the decision. If we decide to revoke it, you can appeal (see section 11).

If we revoke a credential because of our own scoring error, you can sit the exam again straight away without waiting.

What others see

The verify page shows the status "Revoked" and the date. It does not show the reason.

14. Deleting your account

You can delete your account at any time from your account settings. Before we delete it, we ask you to choose what happens to any credential you hold:

• Keep it verifiable. The verify page keeps showing the ID, your name, the issue and expiry dates and the status. We delete everything else.
• Mark it withdrawn. The verify page shows only the ID and the status "Withdrawn".

Badge files you have already downloaded or shared stay with you and others. We cannot recall them, but their status checks will show what the verify page shows.

If an appeal or a misconduct review about you is still open, we may keep the records we need to finish it. If you are under a 12-month bar, we keep the minimum we need to apply it until it ends.

Inactive accounts

If your account has no credential and you have not signed in for 3 years, we delete it. We email you 30 days before we do. Signing in within those 30 days keeps your account.

15. Changes to this handbook

We may update this handbook. We publish each version with its date. A change applies to attempts started after the new version takes effect. If a change affects credentials already issued, we email holders before it takes effect.

16. Contact

Email contact email (to be confirmed) for any question about this handbook.

legal entity (to be confirmed), registered address (to be confirmed).